Begin Again
by rachelcolleen1000
Summary: Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne have been in a relationship for two years. But Katniss wasn't happy - Gale abused her. When her mother finds out, she kicks her out of the house. The only place Katniss finds refuge is a 24 hour diner called Mellark's, owned by Peeta Mellark. When Peeta lets Katniss move into his home, she realizes she can begin again. AU/OOC/Modern
1. Chapter 1

"He's so good for you!" my mother shouts. "Why can't you see that?"

"Mom!" I whisper back. "How could you say that?"

"Who cares if he hits you?" she screams. "He is an upstanding citizen, he makes a _ton _of money! You and your children would be set! Why can't you make a sacrifice for your future?"

"What if I value my happiness over money?" I scream. "I don't care if he's rich. Mom, he's _killing _me!"

"Don't be such a drama queen," she says. "Maybe that's why he hits you, you're so annoying."

My mouth drops. "Stop caring so much about yourself and care about someone else for a change," Mom says. "Think about me for a change. Do you know what Gale Hawthorne's money will do for me?"

"You're the selfish one," I whisper. "You're a horrible mother. I can't believe you."

"Get out of my house," my mother says after a long pause. "If you refuse to marry Gale Hawthorne, _get out of my house_."

I look at her. "Get _out_," she says softly.

I stand up and walk out into the rain. "Katniss!" my little sister Prim says. "Katniss, you can't leave!" She runs out into the rain.

"I have to," I say softly. "I'm sorry. I love you, don't forget that." She hugs me tightly and eventually I get her off of me and walk away.

I walk for a long time in the rain. And I mean, a _long time_. No matter where I walk, the rain continues just as hard. Some time in the night, I succumb to my tiredness and coldness and walk into a twenty-four hour diner in the small town I'm walking through. A blonde man with the bluest eyes I'd ever seen wipes down the counter. The diner was completely dead.

"Hi, welcome to Mellark's," the boy says. He looked up at me. "Whoa."

"Got a problem?" I ask defensively.

"You look awful," the man says. "Like, _really _awful."

"Thanks," I snap.

"Can I get you some dry clothes?" he asks. "Or at least a towel, to dry off?"

"I'm fine," I say, taking a seat at a table. "I just need to sit for a bit and then I'll be out of your hair."

"I've never seen you around," he says, coming to sit across from me. "St. Peters is a really small town. Are you new?"

"Just passing through," I say with hostility.

"Where you headed?" he asks.

"Why do you care?"

"Just making small-talk," the boy says. "I get the feeling you've had a rough day?"

"Once again, why do you care?"

He shrugs. "It's the diner way," he says. "You cook food, listen to people's stories, and get paid. I promise, I won't tell anyone if you tell me what's bugging you."

"You're a complete stranger," I say.

He shrugs. "Alright. You want some food?"

"I don't have money."

"Let me rephrase this," he says. "Are you hungry?"

"I haven't eaten in awhile," I shrug. "My . . . never mind."

"Do you like eggs?" he asks. "I figure at 3:27 in the morning, eggs are appropriate."

"I like pancakes better," I say softly. "But if you want to make eggs I'll eat them."

He looks at me strangely. "I can make pancakes. But if you want me to make eggs I'll make them."

I scoff at him. "What would you like on the pancakes?"

"I don't have money," I repeat.

"Do you like chocolate?"

"Yes," I admit.

"Four chocolate chip pancakes coming right up," he says.

Before I can argue, he's disappeared into the kitchen. It doesn't take long for him to return. "Four chocolate chip pancakes," he says, setting them in front of me. "I'm Peeta, by the way. Peeta Mellark. I own the bakery. It was my dad's, but he retired and moved to New York City."

"I'm Katniss," I say.

"I told you a story, you tell me one," he says.

I shake my head.

"C'mon," Peeta urges. "I love stories."

"I don't have any stories," I reply.

"Sure you do," Peeta says. "Like, why you're just passing through St. Peters. _Nobody _just passes through St. Peters. And nobody stops at Mellark's at 3:30 in the morning without a story."

"I don't have a story, okay?" I snap.

He backs off for a moment. "What if we play 20 Questions? I'll get answers out of you then."

I shrug.

"Alright," he says. "Are you running from someone?"

"Kind of," I reply.

"Are you leaving someone?" he asks.

"A mixture of the two."

"Are you running/leaving your boyfriend?" he asks.

I nod.

"Did he hurt you?" Peeta asks.

I nod.

"Little fucker," Peeta says. "Hitting a girl like you? What's the story with your mom and dad? Are they on your side?"

"My dad's dead," I say flatly. "And my mom kicked me out when she heard I was going to leave him."

Peeta nods. "That's all I needed to hear. I've got extra space in my apartment upstairs. You're staying."

I shake my head. "Thanks for the pancakes, but I should get going." I stand up to leave but Peeta grabs my wrist. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll stay! Please let go." He lets go immediately.

"Oh my God," he says softly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't . . . I mean . . . I'm going to kill whoever did this to you."

"I barely know you," I mutter.

"Doesn't matter," he says. "You're a woman. Every woman should be treated with respect. She should be romanced and loved and touched _nicely _and _gently,_ only if she wants it. No woman should be beaten."

"I don't want to be a burden to you," I say. "Eating your food, staying in your place . . ."

"You don't want to be a burden?" Peeta asks. "Fine. You can work. At the dinner. We're looking for another person who can take on the lunch shift."

"Lunch shift?" I ask.

"10:30 AM to 3:30 PM," Peeta says. "Every day, unless you need time off. Which I hear the boss is pretty good about." He flashes me a smile.

"You're the boss," I say.

"Exactly."

I smile for the first time since I've arrived. "The apartment's right up the stairs," he says. "I normally don't pull the midnight shift, but the normal guy needed a day off. The breakfast guy comes in at four."

"_Four_?" I ask incredulously.

He nods. "The breakfast rush starts at five. Most of the men in this town work in the factory and they come to the diner for some breakfast first."

"Factory?"

"Where do you come from?" he laughs.

"Not around here," I say softly.

"Go upstairs and shower," Peeta instructs. "The bathroom is right off the kitchen. I have a bunch of really old, smallish clothes in the top drawer of my dresser, the one beside my bed. There should be towels underneath the sink. I'll be done soon."

I nod and head upstairs. Peeta's apartment is small – very small. I don't see where he's going to have me sleep, but I know that I won't be here when morning comes. I'll wait until Peeta is asleep and then I'll bolt.

He comes up just as I leave the bathroom. "You clean up nice," he comments.

I shrug. "The guest room's over here," he says. "It's small, but it's better than nothing." The room has a twin bed, a dresser, and a desk. There isn't much room for anything else. "So, I guess I'll leave you alone. Um, I normally work the lunch shift, too, so after we can go out and get you some clothes that fit, I guess. Unless you just want to wear my loose clothes all the time. Which I wouldn't mind. They suit you."

"I don't have money," I repeat.

"We'll take it out of your first paycheck," he shrugs.

"Peeta, you're letting me stay in your house," I argue. "That should be my pay."

He shrugs. "The room wasn't being used. At least now it's not just empty space."

I sigh. "What if I get up in the middle of the night and leave?"

He laughs. "You won't get past me. I don't sleep very much, or very well."

"I don't sleep very much, either," I admit. "I haven't much, since . . ."

"Is it too soon to talk about it? Your boyfriend?" Peeta asks.

I nod. "I don't want to talk about it."

Peeta nods. "Another day, then?"

I nod.

"Good night, Katniss," Peeta says. "I'll make sure you're awake in time for the shift."

He closes the door behind him. I sit on the bed and stare out the window. The rain is still falling, _hard_. I turn out the light and lay down on the bed. It's very comfortable. I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep, and I surprise myself as I fall asleep to dreams about the blonde haired, blue eyed diner owner.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so sorry for not updating in a very long time!**

**I had serious writer's block. I couldn't decide how I wanted this story to go and I just had an inspiration today.**

**Enjoy!**

I'm awake by nine, which is sleeping in by my standards. When I wake, Peeta's showered, dressed, and making something. "Chocolate chip pancakes," he says when I exit my room. He nods towards the table. "That's your work uniform." It's a black polo with the word _Mellark's_. "We wear jeans with it, but yours are still wet so you can borrow a pair of mine, or something," he tells me.

He sets a plate of pancakes in front of me and sits beside me. "Are you mute, now?" he asks.

I scowl at him. "Sorry," he says. "I guess you're just not a morning person, huh? That'll probably change. I'm a morning person."

"You seem to be a middle of the night person, too," I say.

He smiles. "Now she speaks. Are you going to eat your pancakes?"

"You didn't give me a fork."

He laughs and stands to get me a fork. "My bad. So, after work, you and I are going to go to Walmart and get you some clothes."

"I don't have money," I repeat.

"For God's sakes," he laughs. "Don't worry about the money, okay? If you really want me to, I'll take it out of your first paycheck."

"Take it out of my first paycheck," I insist.

He smiles. "You're very independent. I like that about you." I look away, uncomfortable. He smiles at me for a minute longer before he stands up. "So, you'll work the lunch shift six days a week from 10:30 to 3:30. You get paid $7.50 an hour. On Sundays, the diner's closed."

"God. This really is an old-fashioned small town, isn't it?" I ask.

He laughs. "On Sundays, I go to my brother Rye's house. Our parents live in New York City, so me and my other brother go to Rye's and chill. You're welcome to join me on Sunday."

"I don't know . . ." I say.

He shrugs. "No pressure. There's not much to do around here, though. We've got the TV, I guess, but you don't seem like the TV watching kind of girl."

"Then I guess you don't know much about me, huh?" I ask.

Peeta turns to me, a half smile on his face. "Let's change that, then."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

After my shift, I want nothing more than to kill Peeta. When the dinner guy shows up at 3:30, we trudge up the stairs to the apartment. "I'm showering first," I snap.

"No problem," he shrugs. "How was your first day at work?"

I scowl at him and slam the door to the bathroom. I hear him chuckling through the door.

I undress and get in the shower. There's a small knock on the door and Peeta just barely opens the door. "Katniss, before I say anything I would just like you to know that my eyes are closed." I find myself smiling just a little bit. "I'm going to put some more clothes on the sink for you, okay?"

"Okay," I say. He sets them down and closes the door again. I begin to wonder about the diner owner, Peeta Mellark. What normal guy would just let a girl he barely knows stay in his apartment, wear his clothes, and fill a position in his diner that she's completely incompetent for? I was under the assumption that he didn't have a girlfriend, or else he would never have let me move in with him. Peeta was no predator – I'm a very good judge of character, and I could tell Peeta had never hurt anyone and he would never hurt me, either. I'd only misjudged one person's character – Gale's.

Gale. What if he was looking for me? What if he was after me? I'm sure he was. He couldn't ever find me. He'd definitely kill me then. And he'd kill Peeta, too. I couldn't put Peeta in danger like that. No matter how much I liked or trusted Peeta, I couldn't stay. I couldn't stay, knowing the danger I was putting him in.

I turn off the shower and get dressed quickly. I braid my hair and prepar myself to just walk out of the bathroom, say thank you to Peeta, and leave. Not that I want to, of course. But I had to.

When I exit the bathroom, Peeta's sitting on a couch in the living room, watching a March Madness basketball game. "Oh, c'mon!" he shouted at the screen. "You call yourself a number one seed? Jesus."

I smile. "Do you think they can hear you?"

He turns to me, embarrassed. "Sorry. I get really into basketball games." He stands up and walks over to me and pretends to sniff me. "Oh, good. You don't smell like fries anymore."

I laugh. Peeta's standing uncomfortably close to me, but I'm okay with it. He makes me feel so safe, and so at home. I needed someone like him. I hadn't felt safe in a long time. Peeta was the only person I'd ever known, other than my father, who made me feel safe. That's why I had to go. I couldn't make myself comfortable here when I could potentially have to get up and run away in the middle of the night.

"Look, Peeta," I say. "Thank you for everything you've done for me."

"It's no problem," he says. "It's the least I could do."

"I have to go," I say.

He furrows his eyebrows. "No you don't."

"I do," I say. "What if . . . he comes and finds me? Do you realize how much danger you'd be in? I can't do that to you."

He smiles. He actually _smiles_. "Oh, Katniss. You're worried about my safety?"

I nod, suddenly embarrassed. "Have I mentioned that I got second in the state in wrestling in high school? Or that I was the first string linebacker of my high school football team all four years of high school? Or that I was the first string linebacker for the University of Kentucky my junior and senior year?"

I shook my head. "Must've slipped your mind."

He grins. "If you can't tell, I was pretty damn good at beating the crap out of people. Still am, actually."

"You've beat the crap out of someone recently?" I ask.

"Few weeks ago, some guy tried to take money out of the register," he shrugs. "I made sure he didn't. And I'll make sure that your jackass of an ex-boyfriend never comes within twenty feet of you."

"You shouldn't have to deal with that," I say. "You shouldn't have to deal with some damaged, broken girl with a crazy psychopath following her around. It's not your problem."

"It is now," he says softly. "I'm involved now. If you leave, I'm going to have to go after you."

I grin. "Did you really just quote _Titanic_?"

"Quote what?" he asks.

"_Titanic_," I say.

"Never seen it," he says.

My jaw drop. "Are you kidding me?"

He shrugs. "I mean, I know how it ends. The sink ships, he dies, and she doesn't live happily ever after. It's a depressing story."

I shook my head. "You have to watch that movie."

"Will you watch it with me?" he asks.

"Nope, I'm going to make you sit alone on the couch and watch Titanic by yourself," I say. He looks at me like I'm completely serious. "I'm kidding, moron. I'll watch it with you."

He grins. "Maybe they'll have that at Walmart, too."

I smile. "Probably."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"That was ridiculous," Peeta says when we get back in his truck after our Walmart stop. "Twenty dollars for a _movie_?"

I laugh. "It's worth it."

"For a movie that I already know the whole story for . . ." he grumbles.

"You just wait," I say. "You'll cry."

He laughs. "I will not cry."

On the way back to the diner, Peeta's stops at Pizza Hut. "What are you doing?" I ask.

"If you're going to force me to watch a three hour chick flick, we might as well make a night out of it," he says. "I'm stopping at Jim's, too."

"Who's Jim?" I ask.

"Jim's is the candy store," he says.

AEAEAEAEAEAE

At 7, Peeta starts the movie. I like watching Peeta watch the movie. Just like I thought, Peeta got very into the movie. I could tell he was a hopeless romantic. As the credits start to scroll, Peeta grabs a Twizzler and sits back. "That's it?" he asks.

I nod.

"So she lives to be one hundred and she never forgot about him?" he asks. "That's beautiful."

I laugh. "No, I'm serious," Peeta says. "She was, what, seventeen when the ship went down? That's eighty three years of her life that she never forgot about someone she'd known for two days. That's amazing. That's the kind of love I want one day, you know? No matter what, you never forget that one person you loved more than anything."

I pause. "Yeah, that'd be nice, one day. I don't have the best experience with love."

He shrugs. "Me either. I had a couple high school girlfriends and a girlfriend in college, but none of those were stellar."

"I've only had Gale," I say.

"Is that Jackass's name?" he asks.

I smile. "Yes."

"I don't know why he'd ever hit you," Peeta says. "Man, if I had a girl like you, I'd treat her perfectly."

I cock my head to look at him. "A girl like me?"

"A girl like you," he says. "Strong, independent, determined. Beautiful."

"Peeta," I say softly.

"You deserve to be treated perfectly," he says. "Let me show you how you deserve to be treated."

"Peeta," I whisper.

"Let me, Katniss," he says, inching towards me. "I can be the Jack to your Rose."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for how short it is, but the next chapter is going to be extra long and extra cute ;)**

**Enjoy!**

Just as Peeta is leaning in to kiss me, I panic. I jump up from the couch and run to my bedroom. I slam the door and sit on my bed, pulling my legs up to my chest and rocking back and forth. What was I thinking, letting Peeta get close to me? Letting him buy me clothes and buy _Titanic _and get pizza and candy? Why had I been so stupid?

Peeta knocks on the door quietly. "Katniss, are you okay?"

"Leave me alone!" I say. When I lift my hands, they're shaking. The last time a man had ever been close to me, it was Gale. The last time I'd been kissed, it was immediately followed by a blow to the head. I am twenty-two years old and I am ruined.

He opens the door and looks at me on the bed, curled in a ball and shaking. His eyes widen. "Katniss?" he asks softly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean . . . I should've known it was too soon to try anything. I'm so stupid. God, I'm so sorry."

I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. He nods. "I'll see you in the morning, I guess." He closes the door and I sit, shaking, for hours.

AEAEAEAEAEAE

The clock says 11:43 when I wake up the next morning. I'd missed an hour of my shift. I throw my work shirt on and run out the door. Peeta's sitting on the couch. When he sees me, he jumps up. "Why aren't you at work?" I ask.

"It's Sunday," he says.

"It's Sunday?" I question. "I thought you went to your brother's on Sunday."

"I canceled," he shrugs. "I was worried about you."

"I'm fine," I say, turning around to go back to my room.

"Katniss," he says. "You're not fine."

"Yes I am, Peeta," I say.

"Katniss Everdeen, quit lying! You're not fine, I know you're not fine!" he shouts. I cringe and back away. Peeta grimaces.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he says, walking towards me. "I'm so sorry." The last time a man walked towards me, he was holding a frying pan, ready to hit me in the head with it. I back into the wall and squat down, hugging my knees again.

Peeta takes a seat next to me. "I'm sorry I'm like this," I whisper softly.

Peeta shakes his head. "It's not your fault, Katniss." He puts his arm around me and I tense, but I know he won't hurt me. I relax and lean into him. "None of this is your fault, okay?"

I don't respond. "And I'll never hurt you. Never. You're welcome to stay here as long as you like. Forever, in fact."

"Peeta," I say softly.

"I hate seeing you like this," he whispers. "Let me show you how you're supposed to be treated."

"Peeta . . ."

"Let me."

I turn to look at him. His blue eyes are fixed on my tear-filled gray ones. This time, when he leans in to kiss me, I let him.

AEAEAEAEAEAE

A few weeks go by and nothing happens between Peeta and I. He kisses me good morning and good night, but other than that, he acts like my friend. I don't know what his angle is, but it's starting to bother me.

On a Saturday almost three weeks since he'd first kissed me, we come upstairs after our shift. "You're getting a lot better," Peeta says. "You're a better worker than some of the guys that've been working here longer than me."

"How long have you worked here?" I ask.

"I started working part-time when I was, like, six, because my dad owned the place," Peeta says. "I took it on full-time when I graduated college."

"When did you graduate?" I ask.

"In May," he says.

I nod and head to the bathroom to shower. When we're both showered, Peeta flops down next to me on the couch. "Okay," he says. "I think I've waited long enough."

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"Katniss, would you like to go on a date with me?" he asks with a little smile. "I didn't want to push you before, but I don't want to wait anymore."

"A date?" I ask.

He nods. "I'll take you to dinner or a movie. Or dinner and a movie. Dinner and a movie, that sounds good. If you want, anyway. I mean, you've been letting me kiss you and stuff. I figured you'd be okay with it."

I nod. "I am okay with it. I think."

He grins. "You think?"

"I'm sorry," I say. "I've never had a say in stuff like this before."

"Don't be sorry," he says. "So we'll head out at six, then?"

"Tonight?" I ask incredulously.

"It's Saturday night," he shrugs. "We don't have to go tonight, I guess."

"No, we can go tonight," I say.

He looks at me and says, "This may be pushing it, but . . . I've been wanting to do this since the second I saw you." He grabs my hips and pulls me onto him. I freeze until he plants his lips on mine. I immediately relax. His lips are soft and warm, like they always are, and they taste faintly of chocolate cake. Generally, our kisses end here. A small peck, our bodies not touching. We're never touching, and I'm definitely not on top of him normally. Suddenly, his tongue runs along my bottom lip. Whenever Gale would kiss me, he would force my mouth open. Peeta's asking my permission. I let him in and his tongue meets mine hesitantly at first. His hands are planted firmly on my waist and my hands are on his chest. When my lungs are about to burst, I pull away.

I've never seen Peeta grin so wide. "I could get used to this," he whispers, pecking my lips. "Are you okay with . . . this?"

I smile and nod shyly. Peeta grins again. "You're adorable."

For the first time in our entire relationship (if you could call it that), I kiss him first. I pull away after only a few seconds. "I really like you, Katniss," he says softly, our lips still partially connected.

"I like you, too," I murmur.

He smiles and kisses me again.


	4. Chapter 4

**I HAVE A SNOW DAY TOMORROW! YESSSSSSSSSSS!**

**Anyway, I was dying to write this chapter and I didn't have to get in bed at a decent hour so I just did it! It is absolutely precious. I was just grinning the whole time haha**

**The song used in this chapter is 'Fix You' by Coldplay. That song is probably my all time favorite Coldplay song and possibly my all time favorite song, period. It's helped me through a lot of troubled times and if you haven't heard it I HIGHLY recommend it.**

**Also, I respond to mostly all my Private Messages, so if you ever have a question or just want to talk or something, PM me!**

**Enjoy! :)**

I had absolutely nothing to wear on a date, so I just put on one of the sweaters that Peeta had bought me and jeans. At six, Peeta and I leave. He opens the truck door for me, like he always does. He backs away and drives in the direction of downtown St. Peters. Peeta and I haven't gone many places, but we've been downtown a few times.

"Did I tell you that you look nice?" he says.

I shake my head.

"Does that count, or should I say it?" he asks.

"That counts," I laugh.

"Do you like Mexican food?" Peeta asks. "One of my friends from high school runs the best Mexican place in town. Well, only Mexican place in town. But still, it's good."

"I like Mexican," I say.

"Do you really like Mexican?" Peeta asks. "You don't have to like Mexican, Katniss. I'm not going to be mad."

I pause. "I prefer Italian, but I don't mind Mexican."

"Then we'll get some Italian," Peeta says. He pauses. "You're allowed to have likes and dislikes, Katniss. How am I going to get to know you if you won't tell me what you like or don't like?"

"I'm sorry."

"Please stop apologizing," he says. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"I just . . ."

"I know," he says softly, grabbing my hand. "And I'm going to fix you."

"I love that song," I say softly.

"What song?" Peeta asks. "'And I'm Going To Fix You?'"

I laugh. "No, 'Fix You'," I say. He glances at me, his expression blank. "Coldplay? Are you serious? You'd never seen _Titanic _and now you've never heard 'Fix You'?"

"I don't listen to much music," he shrugs.

"Oh my God," I say. "I need to fix that about you."

He grins. "I take it you like music?"

"I mean, I guess," I say.

He sighs. "It sounds like you love music. Does Gale not like music?"

I shake my head. Peeta nods. "Well, I will happily listen to any song you want me to. Do you play any instruments?"

I shake my head. "I . . . I sing," I say softly.

"You sing?" he asks. "That's so cool! I, personally, am a horrible singer. I played trombone for a couple years in high school for Fine Arts credits, but other than that, I was pretty much a jock."

"I was in choir," I say. "From fourth to twelfth grade."

He whistles. "Wow, that's impressive. Would you sing for me sometime?"

I look at him wearily. "I don't know, Peeta."

He shrugs. "Okay. I'm not going to force you to. But maybe you could sing me that 'Fix You' song?"

"I don't know," I say.

"Okay," Peeta says. We drive in silence for awhile.

"I have the song on my iPod, if you want to listen to it," I say.

He smiles. "I would love to listen to it."

I pull my iPod out of my purse and pull up the song. "This is my favorite song," I say softly. "This song has gotten me through a lot."

"Let's hear it," Peeta says.

_When you try your best but you don't succeed_

_When you get what you want but not what you need_

_When you feel so tired but you can't sleep_

_Stuck in reverse_

_When the tears come streaming down your face_

_When you lose something you can't replace_

_When you love someone but it goes to waste_

_Could it be worse?_

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

_High up above or down below_

_When you're too in love to let it go_

_But if you never try you'll never know_

_Just what you're worth_

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

During the guitar solo, Peeta's head starts bopping back and forth and when the bass came in, Peeta whispers, "Wow."

_Tears stream down your face_

_When you lose something you cannot replace_

_Tears stream down your face_

_And I_

_Tears stream down your face_

_I promise you I will look for my mistakes_

_Tears stream down your face_

_And I_

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

Peeta pulls into an Italian restaurant parking lot, parks, and shuts the car off. He sits back in his chair and grins. "Wow."

"Wow what?" I ask.

"That song is _amazing_," Peeta says. "You have very good taste."

I smile. "Thanks."

He comes around the car and opens my door. "That part in the middle, the guitar?" he says. "I got chills."

I smile. "That's my favorite part."

He grins at me, grabs my hand, and leads me into the restaurant.

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"Do you have any family?" Peeta asks once we're seated. We ordered our food and our drinks had just been delivered.

I nod. "A sister."

"Younger or older?" Peeta asks.

"Younger," I say. "She's eighteen."

"So that's a four year age difference?" Peeta asks. "Me and my oldest brother Jake are four years apart."

"So that makes him twenty-six?" I ask.

"Twenty-seven," Peeta says. "I'm twenty-three."

"I thought you were twenty-two," I say.

Peeta shrugs. "My birthday's in February. Just turned twenty-three. You're twenty-two?"

"My birthday's in May," I say.

"I'll remember that," he grins. "Will you tell me a little bit about yourself? All I know is that your name is Katniss, you're twenty-two, you have a little sister, and you have a wicked taste in music."

"What do you want to know?" I ask quietly.

"Where you're from, for starters," Peeta asks.

"A mining town called Waterfront in West Virginia," I say.

"I've heard of that," Peeta says. "Katniss, that place is, like, fifty miles away. How much did you walk?"

I shrug. "A lot."

Peeta smiles. "Did you go to college?"

"I went to the University of West Virginia for a couple years," I say. "I was a music education major."

"Did you graduate?"

I shook my head. "I met Gale in my sophomore year."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Peeta asks.

"He was two years older," I say softly. "When he graduated, he made me come back to Waterfront with him."

"He was from Waterfront?"

"The rich side of town," I say. "I'm . . . I don't come from rich means."

His eyes meet mine. He grabs my hand and squeezes. "That's the past, right? The important thing is you're here now, with me. You're safe."

"Gale's fifty miles away, Peeta. He's probably trying to find me," I say.

Peeta grins. "Let him come. I'd like to get my hands on that motherfucker." I smile. I don't know how I'd been so lucky to find someone like Peeta.

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"The only theater within twenty miles is a drive-in," Peeta says. "I hope that's okay."

I shrug. "Sounds fine."

He glances at me. "Are you lying to me?"

I shake my head. "No, Peeta."

He laughs. "Is my constantly doubting you starting to irritate you?" I nod my head and he laughs. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," I mock.

He laughs again. "I just didn't know if you'd be comfortable with the whole drive-in thing. You know what happens at drive-ins."

"What happens at drive-ins?" I ask.

He glances at me and grins. "People generally go to a drive-in to hook up, Katniss."

"To hook up . . .?" I ask, confused. Then, I understand. "Oh, God!"

Peeta laughs. "We don't have to go if you don't want to. I've only been to the drive-in once, actually."

"Did you hook up with someone there?" I tease.

He grins. "Maybe."

"Peeta!" I laugh.

"It's what you do!" he laughs. "And anyway, I was pressured into it. She wanted to and I wanted to make her happy."

"So are you telling me you had sex with somebody in a car?"

"Jesus, no!" he laughs. "I was sixteen, I had just gotten my license. I had this crappy old beater – it had been my dad's, and then it was Jake's, and then Rye's. I only got to second base before a bug crawled out of the backseat and scared the crap out of my date."

I laugh. "That's horrible."

"I got this for graduation in May," Peeta says, referring to his truck. "I graduated with honors and my parents were really proud."

He pulls into the drive-in and puts the car in park. There are around fifty other cars around. Peeta unbuckles his seat-belt and I do the same. "What movie are we seeing, anyway?" I ask.

"No idea," Peeta says. "They play older movies here."

Fifteen minutes into the movie, I already know the ending. It's some murder mystery, but I know who the killer is already. "This movie sucks," I say.

Peeta laughs. "It does suck. I would say we leave but we're stuck." There are cars parked all around us. I turn to look into his blue eyes and I know what he's thinking.

"You can, um . . . kiss me, if you want," I say quietly.

He grins. "Are you serious?"

I shrug. "That's what people do at these things and you want to."

"Do you want to?" Peeta asks.

"Don't make me answer that," I say.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" Peeta asks. "I'm not going to if you're not comfortable with it."

I groan. "Peeta, I want you to kiss me."

He grins. "Well, if you insist."

"Oh my God," I laugh as he leans towards me. His lips touch mine and I taste chocolate cake, even though the last thing he ate was lasagna. He plants his hands on my waist and gently pushes me against the door. I tangle my hands in his hair as he runs his tongue along my bottom lip. _He's such a gentleman_, I think as I allow his tongue into my mouth. He brings his hand to my lower back and slowly lays me down. He lays his body on top of mine, but holds his body weight up with his forearms. Our bodies are pressed together tightly – the feel of his body on mine isn't terrifying, like I thought it would be. The closer Peeta is to me, the safer I feel.

When he pulls away, we gasp for breath. His breathing is ragged as he says, "Wow." I smile and he smiles back at me. "You are a very good kisser."

"You, too," I say softly.

He brings his lips to mine again and we kiss for the rest of the movie.

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"Ice cream time," Peeta says as we finally leave the drive-in.

"Ice cream sounds good," I say. "And don't you dare say are you sure."

He glances at me and smiles. "You're so great, Katniss."

I blush. We sit in silence for a minute. "Katniss, can I ask you a personal question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Okay," I say.

"How long did Gale abuse you?" he asks.

I flinch. "We were together for a little over two years," I say. "And he hit me for about a year and a half of that time."

Peeta nods. "Did you two . . . did he ever force you . . .to . . . you know." I knew what he was insinuating. Gale had forced me to have sex with him more times than I could count.

"I don't want to answer that," I whisper.

Peeta's nostrils flare and he clenches his perfect jaw. He breathes in heavily and exhales loudly. "I'm going to castrate that bastard," Peeta says. "I'm going to find him and I'm going to fucking kill him."

"Peeta . . ." I say.

"No, Katniss," he says. "Nobody deserves what you've gone through. Nobody. But it pisses me off that if happened to you. You're amazing, Katniss. You didn't deserve that. You're funny and strong and smart and beautiful. I . . . it makes me so mad that someone had the balls to abuse you like that."

"You're too good for me," I say softly. "I'm not funny or strong or smart or beautiful. I'm just broken. Damaged."

Peeta pulls the car over to the side of the road and unbuckles his seat belt. His lips are on mine before I can say anything else. He cups my face in his hands. He doesn't run his tongue along my lip. It's a sweet, chaste kiss. When he pulls away, he kisses my nose softly. "It's you that's too good for me. You're perfect, Katniss. You're perfect."

"I'm not –"

"You're perfect," he whispers, almost inaudible. "So perfect."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

After ice cream, Peeta and I go back to the diner. It's almost midnight. Scooter, the middle-of-the-night guy, greets us and we head upstairs. "I had an amazing time tonight, Katniss," Peeta says.

"I did, too," I say.

"Do you want to come to Rye's with me tomorrow?" I ask. "My brothers are dying to meet you."

"I don't know," I say.

Peeta shrugs. "Okay. If you don't want to, I can bring pizza and a movie home and we can hang out tomorrow night."

"That sounds nice," I say.

He walks towards me, grins, and kisses me softly on the lips. "Good night, Katniss."

I smile at him. "Night, Peeta."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"_Katniss, why do you screw everything up?" Gale screams. "All I want when I come home is a nice meal. Why do you have to ruin everything you touch?"_

"_I'm sorry!" I shout, but it's too late. His hand makes contact with my cheek. I know better than to scream. He punches my nose, causing a nosebleed, and I fall down. Gale kicks my side. _

"_Get the fuck up!" he screams. "Get up!" He grabs my hair and yanks me to my feet. "You're so fucking ugly. Why am I even with you?" He pushes me to my knees and unbuckles his pants. "You've fucked up enough today. Do you think you can give head without screwing up?"_

I wake up screaming. Peeta comes rushing into my room. My clothes are soaked and I'm sobbing. I reach out for Peeta – I don't care how vulnerable I look. I need him near me – he makes me feel safe.

"Peeta," I sob. He crawls into the small bed next to me and I latch onto him. "Peeta."

"I'm right here," he says softly. "I'm here."

"It was h-h-horrible," I sob, my breathing ragged. "I had a n-n-nightmare."

"You're okay, baby," he whispers, kissing my head. His arms are wrapped tightly around my waist. My arms are wrapped tightly around him and my head is laying on his chest. "It was just a dream."

"It was real," I sputter. "It was so r-r-real."

Peeta shakes his head. "No, it was a dream, baby."

"It was a memory," I say, calming down just a little bit.

Peeta doesn't reply immediately. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shake my head. "You're safe with me," Peeta whispers. "Nothing will happen to you when you're with me."

"I know," I whisper.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asks.

My grip on him tightens. "No!" I say. "Stay."

He kisses my forehead. "Always." The last thing I remember before drifting off to sleep is Peeta pulling the blankets over us and pulling me closer to him.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry, I couldn't keep things happy forever :(**

At 8:30, Peeta and I wake up to the phone ringing. Peeta kisses my forehead and smiles at me sleepily.

"Are you going to get the phone?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "It can't be that important. How are you?"

"I'm fine," I say. "I've never had a dream like that before."

"Maybe it's because you're getting close to someone else," Peeta says, his eyebrows furrowed. "Maybe we should wait a little longer."

I shake my head. "No."

"You don't want to wait?" he asks.

"No," I say. "And don't you dare ask are you sure."

He grins and kisses my forehead. "Good. Because it's not like I want to wait. But if you wanted to, I would."

The phone rings again. "You should get that," I say. He shakes his head.

"It's probably one of the guys down at the diner," he says. "They'll figure out I'm not going to answer. They probably think we're doing inappropriate things to each other."

I laugh. "Or they think we're sleeping."

"I like the first one better," he says, bringing his lips to mine. Once again, he tastes like chocolate cake. I'm surprised by his lack of morning breath. Almost immediately, the phone starts ringing again.

"Whoever that is really needs you," I say.

He shakes his head. "It can't be important."

I climb out of his arms and head into the living room. I pick up the phone. "Hello?"

"Um, hi," says a man's voice that I don't recognize. "Is Peeta around?"

"Yeah, one second," I say. Peeta takes the phone from me and says, "Hello? Oh, hey, Rye." So that was Peeta's brother. Peeta's brow furrows. "Are they okay? Oh, shit. Okay. Alright. I'll be over in twenty minutes." He hangs the phone up and runs over to his dresser.

"Is everything alright?" I ask.

Peeta shakes his head. He pulls out a pair of jeans and a University of Kentucky sweatshirt. "My parents were in an accident last night," Peeta says. He pulls off his plaid pajama bottoms and yanks on the jeans. "They're in bad shape. Really bad shape." He pulls off his black wife-beater, throws on a white shirt, and pulls the sweatshirt over his head.

I walk over to him. "Are you okay?"

He sits down on his bed, looks up at me, and shakes his head. "I don't know what I'm going to do if . . ."

"Don't think like that," I say, sitting down beside him.

"They're my parents, Katniss," he says. "Everywhere I look around here, I see them. I can't lose them."

"Don't think like that," I say again.

He turns to look at me. "Will you come with me to Rye's?"

I kiss his cheek and nod. "Yeah."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

Twenty minutes later, Peeta and I are sitting in the living room of Rye's house.

"We should wait until we know more about the situation before we drop a shit-ton of money and fly up there," Rye argues.

"Dude, Mom and Dad were just in an accident," Jake replies. "We should be up there regardless."

"Yeah, but what if they come out of it with just a couple broken bones?" Rye asks. "We don't need to be there for that."

"They're both in comas," Peeta says.

"I'm going," Jake says. "You don't have to come, Rye."

"I'm going, too," Peeta says.

Rye groans. "Alright, I'm in."

"I'll go check flights," Jake says, heading to Rye's computer.

"I'm going to call the hospital," Rye says. "See if there's anything new on Mom and Dad."

Peeta and I are left alone in Rye's living room. Peeta puts his face in his hands and sighs deeply before looking up at me with a sad smile. "Will you come with me? To New York?"

"Peeta, I don't –"

"Please," he says. "I don't want to go alone."

_It'll be fine_, I tell myself. _It's for Peeta. For Peeta_. I smile and nod at him. "Okay, I'll go with you."

He kisses my cheek. "Thank you, Katniss."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

That night, Peeta and I pack up for our trip to New York City. Our flight leaves at 9:50 the next morning. When we're done packing, I order pizza and Scooter brings it up to us. Peeta's lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Peeta, there's food here," I say.

He shrugs. "Not hungry."

I sigh and go lay down next to him. "You haven't eaten anything all day."

"Not hungry," he says.

"Are you sure?" I say.

He smiles and sits up. "Alright, let's eat."

He stands and walks into the kitchen. He takes two slices of pizza and goes back to his bed. I take two slices and sit down next to him. "Katniss, I know I'm the one who's supposed to be fixing you, but . . . I just can't right now. I'm so sorry."

I pull his plate of pizza out of his hand and wrap my arms around his neck. He wraps his arms around my waist and we lay down. "Don't apologize," I say. "You've done enough fixing in the past month. Let me fix you now. Okay?"

He nods. "Okay."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

A week later, Peeta and I traipse into his apartment. He throws our bags on the floor and sits down on his bed. "What a horrible week," he says.

I sit down beside him. "I know how you feel," I say. "About your father. I . . . lost mine, too. When I was eleven."

He nods. "I know, you told me."

"I'm so sorry, Peeta," I say.

"I just . . . I want to make the pain go away," he says. "What will make the pain go away?" His beautiful blue eyes are bloodshot and his cheeks are tear-streaked. He's been crying on and off ever since we'd heard the news that his father died two days into our New York City trip. The funeral had been two days before.

"It'll never go away," I say softly. "It fades, but it won't go away."

He sighs. "I'm so numb. I just . . . I need to feel something again."

"Peeta, I don't think I'm ready for anything like that," I say.

He glances at me, confused. Then, he realizes what I mean. "Oh, no, that's not what I meant," he says. "Jesus."

I pause. "I'm sorry."

"Stop fucking apologizing!" he says angrily. I wince and withdraw away from him, pulling my legs up to my chest. He softens immediately. He reaches out to me, grabs my waist, and pulls me to him. "Katniss, I'm so sorry," he whispers. "I don't know what I was thinking." I release my legs and wrap my arms around him.

"I'm sorry, too," I say. "For your dad. And for being so screwed up."

"You're perfect, Katniss," he says. "You've been perfect this week. I forgot about your . . . history until just now."

"I'm not perfect," I mutter.

"Stop arguing with me," he whispers. "It makes me feel better to compliment you."

I chuckle. "I'm going to run to my room to change really fast."

"Hurry back," he says, releasing my waist. I climb off him and head to my room. I pull open my drawer and look for Peeta's huge University of Kentucky shirt that I normally wear to bed. But I can't find it. I look in all of my drawers, on the floor, under the bed, but I can't find it. I check the bathroom floor, but I can't find it.

"What's wrong?" Peeta asks.

"I can't find your Kentucky shirt," I say. "Did you take it back?"

He shakes his head. "Just wear another shirt."

"Peeta, I can't find it," I say. "It's like it just vanished. What if . . . what if he's been here? What if he found me?"

Peeta shakes his head. "No, Katniss. You're safe here. He hasn't been here."

"How do you know?" I ask.

"Do you want me to ask Scooter if anyone's been here?" Peeta asks. I nod. "Let's go, then."

Peeta and I walk down to the diner. "Hey, Scoot," Peeta says.

"Hey, Peet," Scooter says. "I'm so sorry about your dad."

Peeta nods. "Did we have any visitors while we were gone?"

Scooter nods. "Yeah, some guy came and said that he was Katniss's brother. Went up and left with a Kentucky shirt. Said it was his and you'd stolen it, or something."

I grip Peeta's hand so hard I can hear one of his knuckles crack. "What was the guy's name?" Peeta asks.

"Gale."


	6. Chapter 6

**In honor of spring break, Peeta and Katniss go on vacation! :D**

**Speaking of spring break, I am on spring break now! I'm going to Florida. I'm leaving tomorrow at 1:30 and I won't be back until Sunday, April 6th. So, there will be no updates. But I didn't leave this at a cliffhanger or anything like I normally do. There's a very cute ending ;)**

**Enjoy!**

**See you after spring break!**

Five minutes later, Peeta and I sit on the couch in his apartment. I'm physically shaking. I've never been so scared in my life. Not only am I in danger, so is Peeta.

"Katniss," he says softly. "Nothing's going to happen to you. You're going to be fine, okay?"

"He found me," I whisper, barely audible. "I have to leave. _We_ have to leave. Peeta, he knows your with me, it doesn't matter if just I leave, he'll hurt you too."

"It's okay," Peeta says. "It's seriously okay. He'll never get past me."

"Peeta, you're too conceited," I say. He looks at me with a half smile. "I'm sorry," I say softly.

"Let's leave," he says softly.

"Leave?" I ask.

He nods. "You're hurting, I'm hurting. Let's take a vacation."

"A vacation?" I say. "I've never taken a vacation."

His mouth dropped. "Never?"

I shook my head. "I hadn't been out of state until I came here."

Peeta smacks his forehead sarcastically. "Oh my God. There are so many places I could take you."

"Peeta, I don't care where we go," I say. "But we need to leave."

He smiles. "You're so cute, Katniss."

"Stop it," I say.

"Alright, alright," he says. "Let's go to Disney World."

"Disney World?" I ask.

"Disney World," he nods. "We can stay in one of the resorts, do all the parks, maybe go to the beach one of the days. We went a few times when I was a kid. It's the happiest place on earth."

"Peeta, that's so expensive," I say.

He looks down. "My father left me some money, Katniss."

I touch his shoulder. "Are you sure?"

He nods. "It's been awhile since I've been there. We both need a vacation. And, according to you, we have to run away from some scumbag motherfucker who I could rip to shreds."

"We do," I say softly.

He smiles and puts his fingers to his chin, raises my head, and kisses me. "You're going to be fine."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

After we'd both showered, I head to my bedroom but Peeta stops me. "Stay with me." We hadn't shared a bed since the night of our first date before Peeta's father died. We'd slept in separate beds in New York City.

"Peeta –"

"I need you," he says. "And I'd feel a lot better with you always in my sight . . . considering."

I think for a moment. He gives me the puppy dog face and I smile. "Fine, let's go." He grabs my hand and pulls me to the bed. He switches off the light. We lay on our separate sides for a moment before I find myself cuddling to him. I can feel him smiling as he wraps his arms around me.

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"Can you hand me a Twizzler?" Peeta asks four hours into our drive.

"Here," I say.

"I hate driving," Peeta says. "Did you know that?" He's wearing old basketball shorts, a University of Kentucky tee shirt, and a Kentucky hat backwards. "Especially long distances."

"It was your idea to go to Disney World," I say.

"I know, I know," he says. "It was your idea to take a vacation."

"It was your idea to take a vacation," I say. "It was my idea to get away."

"When we get there," Peeta says, changing the subject. "We're going to the pool. There's a water-slide and we're riding together."

"Where are we staying again?" I ask.

"Animal Kingdom Lodge," Peeta says. "I splurged for the Savannah view."

"Well, how cool," I laugh.

"I'm really glad we're going," Peeta says. "I'm glad we're getting away from everything. From the real world."

"I'm just glad that you have a job you can stay away from for awhile," I say.

"I bet you're glad you also have a boss who's extremely flexible with your hours," he says, glancing at me and smirking.

"You're hilarious, Peeta," I say.

"Well, you know, this will be two and a half weeks off," he says. "You owe me, man."

"I owe you?" I tease.

He smiles. "Well, give me a little lovin' and we'll call it even."

I laugh. I lean over and kiss his cheek. He grins. "That's what you call a little lovin'?" he asks incredulously. "What's a guy got to do to get some affection around here?"

"You're driving, Peeta," I say.

"I could pull over," he says mischievously.

I laugh. "We've got nine hours to go. We don't have time to stop."

He groans. "Don't remind me." After a few minutes of a silence, he says, "Should we go over our itinerary?"

"Sure," I say.

"Tonight, we're chilling, going to the pool, room service," he says. "Tomorrow, Magic Kingdom. Tuesday's Epcot. Wednesday's Hollywood Studios. Thursday we do Animal Kingdom. Friday we hit Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Saturday we can drive to the beach and Sunday we can do something fun before we come back on Monday."

"That's a lot of parks," I say.

"We don't have to go to all of them, I guess," Peeta says.

"No, it's fine," I say. "But I've never been on a roller coaster before."

"I'll hold your hand the whole time," Peeta grins. "They're not scary."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"Roller coasters are terrifying," I mumble when we walk into the hotel room after our day at Magic Kingdom.

"They're fantastic," Peeta says. "You just need to get used to them."

I shrug. "I was scared."

He grins. "I know."

I flop down on the bed and sigh. "That was a really fun day."

"Yeah?" Peeta asks. "I'm glad." He turns around, leans against the desk and smiles at me. "Hey, Katniss? Where do we stand?"

I sit up and lean against the headboard. "Where do we stand?"

"You and me," he says. "I mean, we kiss and we share the bed and we hold hands and we go on dates. But where are we?"

I pull my knees to my chest, the one thing that was a comfort when I felt nervous or scared. "I don't know."

"Don't get scared," he says. "Just . . . are you comfortable with being my girlfriend, maybe?"

I nod.

He grins. "Well, will you be my girlfriend?"

I smile at him and nod.

He grins again and climbs onto the bed. He brings his lips to mine softly, at first. I release my legs from my chest and pull Peeta closer to me. He grabs my waist and flips us over, so I'm on top of him. We lay like this, kissing, for a long time. At some point, Peeta starts pulling my shirt up. His hand touches my skin and it feels like a shot of electricity shoots through me. Whenever Gale touched me, I felt dread. But with Peeta, I feel excited, nervous, and something I hadn't felt in a very long time – if I'd ever felt it at all.

Aroused.

My hand finds the hem of Peeta's shirt and I begin pulling it up. Peeta pushes me off him and yanks the shirt over his head. I do the same with mine.

"Katniss, are you sure about –" he begins, but I crash my lips back to his before he can argue. He doesn't resist. He brings his hand to my stomach and I feel like I might explode. He pulls at my belt and fumbles multiple times.

"Peeta, I'll get it," I say breathlessly, unbuckling the belt and pulling the pants down. Peeta does the same and he pulls me to him almost immediately. I feel his arousal and I want nothing more than to reach down and pull off his boxers, but all of a sudden, I find myself remembering the first time I was ever intimate with Gale.

"_Gale, I don't know if we should," I say. We're both nearly naked. He's holding me too him tightly – back when I thought his tight embrace was romantic, not strangling._

"_It's fine, Catnip," he says, kissing my neck and leaving a trail of slobber. _

"_I don't know, Gale," I say._

"_I'm already going, Catnip," he says. "I'm not stopping."_

"_Gale –"_

"_I've waited long enough for you," Gale snaps. "Now, either you stop being such a prude or I'm done. I'll kick you out of the apartment."_

_I knew that couldn't happen. "Fine," I say._

"_I'm not going to make you do it," Gale says, flipping us over and pinning me to the bed. "Tell me you want it."_

"_Gale," I say. _

_He tightens his grip on my wrists. "Tell me you want it."_

"_Gale, you're hurting me."_

"_Tell me you want it, Katniss," he says._

"_I want it," I say, the pain in my wrists growing exponentially. _

"_Say it again," he says. _

"_I want it."_

_He grins. "Then I'll give it to you. Nice and hard."_

"_Gale, I've never . . . never done it, before," I say._

_He grins even wider. "I love making the virgins scream, Catnip. You're no exception."_

I'm transported back to present time. I push away from Peeta and run to the bathroom. I lock the door, drop to the floor, pull my legs to my chest, and sob. I sob because I can't bring myself to be intimate with another man. I sob because I can't give Peeta what he wants. I sob because I can't give myself what I want.

I sob because I'm still letting Gale get in my head.

Peeta knocks on the door. "Katniss? Are you okay?"

I reach up and unlock the door. He cracks the door open and slides into the bathroom. "It's okay, Katniss," he says. He slides down beside me and pulls me into his lap. He wraps his arms around me protectively and strokes my hair. I sob into his chest.

"I'm sorry, Peeta," I say. "I'm s-s-so sorry."

He shakes his head. "No, baby, don't be sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. I'm sorry."

"I want it," I say. "I p-p-promise. But he k-k-keeps getting in my h-h-head."

Peeta pulls me closer and wraps his arms around me tighter. "I know, baby. It's okay. It's seriously okay. I'll wait for eternity for you to be ready, Katniss. I'll wait for eternity for you, period. Forever and always, okay?"

It takes me awhile to calm down, but Peeta holds me and rocks me on the floor for the entire time. When I'm finally finished, Peeta wipes the dried tears off my face and kisses my cheeks until I smile.

"You're so beautiful," he whispers, kissing down my jawline and onto my neck. He does not leave a trail of slobber down my neck. "How do you do it, Katniss? How are you so perfect all the time?"

"Peeta, I'm not perfect," I say.

"Then you're as close as someone can get to perfect," he says. "I don't understand how that idiot didn't value you. I'll treat you like you're a queen every day you foolishly allow me to be by your side."

I smile. "Then you'll be treating me like a queen for a long time."

"Yeah?" he grins.

"Forever and always, right?"


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back!**

**I got home from vacation at 3 AM on Monday morning :/ I did get to skip school and sleep all day, though.**

**Anyway, updates will start coming once to twice a week, depending on how much free time I have. Once summer comes updates will be more frequent than that!**

"It opens at eight," Peeta says on Thursday night. We'd gone to Animal Kingdom today and I was extremely tired. "I say we get there right at eight. It's two parks, you know."

"Okay," I say sleepily.

Peeta grins at me. "Are you going to sleep at 7:30 at night?"

"Don't put it past me," I say.

He gets off his laptop and climbs into the bed next to me. "Do you need me to wake you up?" He grabs my waist and pulls me to him. He kisses me and I kiss him back briefly. He pulls away and kisses down my neck and my collarbone.

"Peeta," I say, but he keeps kissing my neck. "Peeta, I'm not in the mood." What he does next is the equivalent of a raspberry on my neck. I laugh and push him away. "Peeta!"

He grins. "Have I been tiring you out this week?"

"Yes, you have," I tease.

"Oh, that's it," he teases back. He stands up, grabs my waist, and hoists me over his shoulder.

"Peeta!" I shout. "Put me down!" But we're both laughing. He spins me around a couple times and lays me back down on the bed. He climbs over me and kisses me. This time, we don't kiss briefly. Every night this week, we've gone a little further. And every night, I've panicked and ended up sobbing on the bathroom floor in Peeta's lap.

Peeta pulls away when there's a knock on the door. "Horrible timing," Peeta whispers, placing a chaste kiss on the lips and walking to the door. The room service Peeta ordered arrives and Peeta hands me my plate. He sit on the bed, facing each other while we eat.

When we're finished, I expect him to kiss me again, but he doesn't. He just stands awkwardly in front of the bed.

"What're you doing?" I ask.

"I can't do this again," he says.

"Do what?" I ask.

"Climb into bed and kiss you and take your clothes off," Peeta says. "Because every time it makes you cry. I don't want to make you cry anymore."

My heart melts when Peeta says that. He thought it was him making me cry. And he didn't want to make me cry, so he was going to stop doing something that he so obviously loved because he thought it upset me.

"Peeta," I say softly. "It's not you making me cry."

He nods. "I know. But you start crying because of what I'm doing to you. I'm pushing you, Katniss. I told you I'd wait, so I'll wait. I'm not going to be selfish anymore."

"Peeta . . ."

"No," he says. "I've known you for two months, Katniss. It's only been _two months. _You're not ready to be intimate with another guy. I understand."

"I'm sorry," I say softly.

"I'm going to start fining you for every time you apologize," Peeta says. "None of this is your fault. It's my fault. I was pushing you." He climbs onto the bed and sits beside me. "I just . . . you're so different from the girl I met two months ago. You've improved a lot. I just thought that you were ready. I'm sorry."

"I want it so bad," I say softly. "You have no idea."

He grins. "Trust me, I want it just as bad as you do."

"It's just . . . every time you do something Gale used to do or you touch me where he used to touch me, I freak out," I whisper. "It's like I think you're Gale."

"I'm _not _Gale," he says. "I'll never be Gale."

"I know," I say. "I know."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"Hey! Wake up!" Peeta says, throwing a pillow at me. It was Saturday morning. We were at Universal Studios from eight in the morning to ten at night. It wasn't crowded, so we rode most of the rides multiple times.

"If you were within arms' reach, I'd smack you," I grumble. It's two hours to the beach and Peeta wants to get there by 10.

"Katniss Everdeen, this is your last warning," he says.

"Okay, Mom," I say, turning over.

"Katniss!" he whines. "I want to go to the beach!"

"Peeta!" I mock. "I want to sleep!"

"We can sleep in tomorrow morning," Peeta says. "I promise!"

I groan and sit up. Vacations, I've discovered, are extremely tiring. Or vacations with Peeta are very tiring.

"Do you want to go zip-lining tomorrow?" Peeta asks. "There's some eco-safari thing I found last night that looks like fun."

"Zip-lining?"

"It'll be fun," he says.

"That's scary," I say.

He grins. "Are you scared of heights?"

I scowl. "No. Fine. Let's zip-line. I'm not scared."

He laughs. "You're allowed to be scared of heights, babe. It's okay if you don't want to. We can go shopping or something."

"I hate shopping."

AEAEAEAEAEAE

"Have you ever been to the ocean?" Peeta asks.

I shook my head.

"Well, c'mon," he says. "Let's go in."

He grabs my hand and pulls me to the water. It's fairly warm and there's not many people here. He pulls me to where the water is waist-deep. "Riding the waves is really run," Peeta says. "You just jump."

"Jump?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says. "Right as the wave is coming, you jump and go where it takes you."

"What if it takes me under?" I ask.

He grins. "Then you go under. I can't tell you how many times I've been flipped over under water."

"That's crazy, Peeta," I say.

"It's a thrill," he shrugs.

"You're kind of a thrill-seeker," I say.

He smiles. "C'mon." We go out further and stand and wait.

"This is very fun, Peeta," I say sarcastically.

He laughs. "Just shut up and wait."

I know he's joking, but I wince anyway. I remember when Gale used to tell me to shut up. Peeta notices and his arms are around my waist in a second. "Katniss, I'm sorry," he says. "I should've known. God, I'm so stupid."

I shake my head. "You were joking. You didn't mean it."

He smiles and kisses me. We kiss for a long time. We hear the roar and crash of a wave a second too late. It hits us and knocks us off our feet. Peeta holds on to me underwater and when we can finally stand up, we both start laughing. Peeta shakes out his hair like a dog and grins at me. "See, it is fun, isn't it?"

I laugh. "And terrifying."

"You're not a thrill-seeker," he laughs.

"I don't like dangerous things," I say. "I think I've had enough dangerous for a lifetime."

Peeta nods. "There's a difference between danger and a thrill, Katniss."

"It's hard to differentiate."

He smiles sadly. "You know, I really wish I'd known you when you were with Jackass."

"Why?" I ask.

"Because if you and I had been friends or something, and you had told me about him, I would have ripped him apart," Peeta says. "I still will, whenever I see him."

"You don't have to."

Peeta grabs my wrist and pulls me towards him. "Yes, I do. You're my girlfriend and I will protect you."

I wrap my arms around Peeta's neck and kiss him. This time, we pull away before we get pummeled by a wave.

**So I've been thinking about writing a story with this Katniss and this Peeta, but Peeta knows Katniss when she's still with Gale. I don't know any of the particulars, but would you guys read that story? Please let me know! :)**


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